Look for the Boy With the Broken Smile
by P.S.ILoveYou44
Summary: For all you OC addictees, like me, a bad (but in a good way!) story to help all of us until November.
1. Some Really Bad News

Look for the Boy With the Broken Smile  
  
Disclaimer: I am not Josh Schwartz or Fox so the OC doesn't belong to me. (Sadly!)  
  
Chapter One  
  
Some Really Bad News  
  
Ring... Ring... Ring ... Ring... After four rings of his house phone, a very distraught Sandy Cohen picked up.  
  
"Hello"  
  
"Hello, may I speak to Sandy Cohen"  
  
"Speaking"  
  
"Sir, you are the legal guardian of Ryan Atwood, are you not?"  
  
"I am"  
  
"Mr. Cohen, my name is Elena, I am a nurse in Newport General Hospital's Emergency Room, I'm sorry to say that Mr. Atwood has just come in by means of an ambulance, he was in a very serious car accident."  
  
"Oh my god" The distraught face became even more so.  
  
"Sir it is very important that you get here as fast as possible."  
  
"Yeah, I'm on my way, right now."  
  
The phone call ended.  
  
"Sandy, what's going on?" His wife Kirsten asked.  
  
"Ryan's in the Emergency Room. I don't know much, but I do know that he was in a car accident and that I need to get to the emergency room right now."  
  
"Sandy, I'm coming with you."  
  
"Well, let's go, time is of the essence."  
  
It wasn't a particularly long drive to Newport General Hospital from the Cohen's not-so-humble abode, but to Kirsten and Sandy, it felt like forever. In a very short time, both of their boys, Ryan and Seth had left them. They at least knew where their adopted son, Ryan, was headed, back to his old stomping grounds, Chino. Seth, their real son had left only a meager note telling every one not to worry and that he would be all right. Kirsten and Sandy still needed time to reflect on the day's events but that time was not now.  
  
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Marissa Cooper stood on the balcony of her new home with a bottle of vodka in her hands, wishing she could drink away her sorrows. Her boyfriend, Ryan, had possibly gotten his ex-girlfriend, Theresa, pregnant during the (ONE!!!) week that Ryan and Marissa had been broken up. Marissa knew Ryan only wanted what was best for the child that might be his, but she wanted him to be with her, right now. She knew it was selfish, but she was only happy when she was with him, or with her dad, but she had made a pact with her new stepfather, Caleb, to live with him and her mother Julie. Marissa needed someone's shoulder to lean on, and she didn't know whom to turn to for solace. Her mother had never liked Ryan and her best friend, Summer, had just been left by her boyfriend, Seth. She guessed that left her bottle of vodka and Share Bear, no wait, Share Bear was still at her dad's, Vodka would just have to do.  
  
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Seth Cohen didn't know where he was going, maybe to Tahiti, maybe somewhere else, but he knew he needed to go somewhere other than Newport. He knew he'd miss Summer, the girl he'd loved since he was ten, so he promised himself he'd return within a month. He wondered how his parents were taking his news and he wondered how Captain Oats was getting along with Summer and Princess Sparkle. An interesting thought popped into his head just then, his trip was kind of like the Ben Folds Five song "Brick": "I'm feelin' more alone than I ever have before/... Off the coast and I'm headed nowhere" He then decided his time away was going to be for, thinking. Thinking about everything.  
  
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Author's Note: I hope y'all liked the first chapter! Summer's coming, I promise! I just don't really know, exactly, what to do with her for the time being. Tell me what you thought of the first chapter! 


	2. The Good News Keeps On Coming

Disclaimer: The OC belongs to Josh Schwartz and Fox, I am neither.

Chapter Two

The Good News Keeps On Coming

Sandy and Kirsten finally arrived at the emergency room within fifteen minutes. Sandy wanted answers, how was Ryan, was Theresa ok, what happened. It turned out that a nurse came to talk to them immediately.

"Excuse me, Sir, ma'am why are you here?"

"My name is Sandy Cohen and this is my wife Kirsten, I got a call about 20 minutes ago that Ryan Atwood is here."

"Hi, Mr. Cohen, I'm Elena." She had stringy black hair tied back into a ponytail and a very polite voice. "He is here. He's just been put in a room. We'll need to monitor him at least overnight, is that ok, Mr. Cohen?"

"Yeah, that's fine. What about the girl he was with, Theresa?" Sandy replied in an instant.

Elena's voice got very quiet. "In the accident, she became brain dead and soon after she was brought into our trauma room, she went into heart failure as well, we tried to bring her back, but we had no luck."

"Oh my god, Sandy!" Kirsten burst into tears while Sandy remained rock solid.

"May we see him?" Sandy asked

"Sure, right this way"

Elena led Kirsten and Sandy to Ryan's hospital bed and left.

Ryan turned over and slowly opened his eyes to see Kirsten and Sandy sitting next to him. Kirsten was softly stroking his head in a very motherly fashion. She stopped crying, she needed to maintain composure for Ryan. Sandy was right next to her, but they definitely weren't at home. They were somewhere vaguely familiar. And yet at the same time completely new.

"Wh- Wh- Where am I?" Ryan asked groggily.

"Sweetie, you're in the hospital." Kirsten cooed sweetly.

"What happened?" Ryan asked.

"We're not exactly sure, but you got into a horrible car accident." Sandy told him.

"How's Theresa?"

Unsure of how to tell him, Kirsten and Sandy paused and left a very awkward silence in the room.

Ryan repeated himself, unsure if he had actually said it or just thought it, "How's Theresa?"

"Ryan ..." Kirsten started

"How is she?"

"She's dead, Ryan" Sandy finished for his wife.

"The baby, too?"

"Yes, Ryan, the baby too." Kirsten tried to put it lightly.

"Oh, god"

"We're gonna take you home, our home" Kirsten told her adopted son whom she had grown so close to in just a short year. "But, Ryan, right now you need to rest. I'll stay here in case you need some company and to make sure you don't fall asleep for too long at a time. You had a bad concussion, sweetie; the nurse said that you shouldn't really sleep for a day but I could let you sleep for a couple hours at a time."

"I'll try to get some facts for you." Sandy assured him.

"D-Does anyone else know?" Ryan wondered and hoped he vocalized his thought, even his thoughts were stuttering.

"Unless the accident is on the news, no. We rushed here as quickly as we could." Kirsten said firmly.

_How w-weird is it that Luke got into a car accident not t-too long ago and now T-Theresa and I have gotten into one? G-God I wonder how Theresa's mom and E-Eddie are g-gonna take the n-news. _Ryan wondered semi-consciously. Sandy left the room quietly, as to not disturb Ryan.

Ryan lay still in his kinda comfortable hospital bed. He wasn't still wearing his traditional tank top and wondered if he could get it back. Of course he could, they'd have no reason to keep it or did they? He couldn't remember what had happened since the night before. He vaguely recalled leaving the Cohens' but then again did he? The only person who knew if he had done anything was now dead. Dead with a baby ... that might've been his. Now he would never know.

Tears started streaking down his face. Kirsten was somewhat surprised; Ryan was not an emotional person. Seth, yes, she definitely would've expected tears from Seth but definitely not Ryan. It seemed like he was a little too macho to cry. Ryan soon fell asleep.

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Before she got way too wasted, Marissa left her bottle of vodka in her room. She decided to make her self some out-the-box Macaroni & Cheese. She puts the six cups of water in a pot and on the never-before-used stove, to boil. She read the directions she'd read about a million times before. She got bored with the directions and flipped the box over to read the ingredients: Enriched macaroni product (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate [iron], thiamin mononitrate... She got bored with the ingredients too. She looked over to see that her water was now boiling. She poured the pasta in and stirred. Mac & Cheese, it was the only thing she could make. She guessed it was kind of a comfort food. It reminded her of Ryan, but then again, what didn't? She already missed him. He had only been gone for a little over an hour. She could only guess how much she'd miss him after a day had passed, a week. God, how was she going to make it through? She tasted her noodles and dumped them and the water into a colander. She then mixed in the cheese mix, butter and milk. She stirred. She thought.

I wonder where Ryan is. Is he settled into Theresa's yet? How much do I want to be sharing this pot of Mac & Cheese with him? It's what we were gonna eat before Caleb showed up with his proposal. Urgh! That stupid proposal 'I'll save Jimmy if you move in with your mother and I.' Ryan was there, but not here, now.

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Kirsten woke Ryan an hour and a half after he fell asleep. Just to make sure he hadn't fallen into a coma. Kirsten kept him up to ask a couple questions.

"Hey Ryan, how are you doing"

"OK, I guess... my head really hurts and I can't remember anything."

"Oh sweetheart, yeah you must have amnesia. Ryan, would it be ok if I called Marissa, it might be nice to have her here, you know"

"Yeah, it'd be nice if you'd call Marissa. Theresa's mom should know, too."

"Sweetie, I'm sure the hospital has contacted Theresa's mom, but I'll ask. You're not stuttering anymore, I'm sure that's a good sign."

"Yeah, I don't think I noticed. But I hope so."

"I'll call Marissa, you should go back to sleep."

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Eating her Mac & Cheese, Marissa's cell phone started ringing. She bolted to answer the phone. She checked the caller ID and it was Kirsten. Why was Kirsten calling? Well, she better find out.

"Hello?"

"Hello Marissa? It's Kirsten."

"Hey Kirsten, what's up?"

"Uh, I don't know how to say this so I just will. I just talked to Ryan and he wanted me to call you..."

"Is he ok? Is he settled into Theresa's?"

"Not exactly, he's fine but he's in the hospital."

"Oh my god, can I come see him?"

"Yes, sure come on down."

"I'll be there soon."

Marissa was very happy she wasn't wasted and in fact quite sobered up. She definitely could go see Ryan. But first she'd pack up the rest of the Mac & Cheese and take it to him.

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Author's Note: I'm sorry that was kinda long, but I felt like I just needed to put all of that in there. I'm sorry all you Theresa fans but I felt like if she was completely gone there would be more drama. I meant to put Seth & Summer in that chapter, but maybe the next chapter will be theirs... Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think.

Oh, BTW, NightStar101, yeah, the title's from 'She Will Be Loved' by Maroon 5.


	3. Sweet Dreams

Disclaimer: The OC 's creator(s) is a genius. I could only wish I were as brilliant.

Chapter Three

Sweet Dreams

Marissa Cooper took her Mac & Cheese to her boyfriend, or ex-boyfriend, she didn't really know what to call him, now. They theoretically broke up, but they said they'd wait for each other, did that mean they were still together? She wondered. She felt semi-confident that she would know what to call him when she saw him.

She, too, got to the hospital quickly. She asked a nurse to guide her to Ryan and went into the room. Not to her surprise, Kirsten was sitting next to Ryan.

"Hey. How are you, how is he?"

"I'm fine, He's fine. He's just supposed to get some rest. We could wake him up, let him know you're here."

"No, that's OK, I guess you have to wake him up periodically, right?"

"Yeah, or he'll wake up on his own."

"I can wait."

Ryan woke up by himself about a half hour after Marissa got to the hospital. Kirsten said that she needed to get some fresh air but really left to give Ryan and Marissa time alone.

"Hey, Ry."

"Hey 'Ris"

"I ... um... came as soon as Kirsten called me. And I brought you some Mac & Cheese."

"Thanks for the Mac & Cheese. You know what happened?"

"No."

"Theresa died."

Marissa gasped and almost started to cry but realized she could do that later, when Ryan was asleep, or something. She decided it was a better idea to hug him instead.

"That sucks."

"Yeah, but I'm glad you came."

"Anytime, Ry. I love you."

"I uh, thanks."

They laughed. Marissa realized that he was definitely still her boyfriend. She wanted to jump on top of him and start making out with him, but thought that might be sort of trashy to do in a hospital bed.

Sandy came back a bit later with a smidgeon of news.

"All of your stuff is OK, Ryan. I'm going to start taking it back home. I couldn't get much, but I guess Theresa swerved to avoid hitting a pedestrian, and hit a big rig. That driver is fine."

"Thanks, Sandy."

"Ryan, I'm gonna stay the night. I'm sure Julie'd want Marissa to go back home. And Sandy's going to take your stuff home and stay there, in case Seth comes home."

At about eight Marissa went home leaving Ryan and Kirsten to sleep in the hospital.

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Early in the morning, the nurses prepped Ryan to go home. Kirsten called Sandy saying that he could come get them. Ryan was happily dressed in the tank top, sweatshirt, leather jacket, and jeans he'd been wearing the day before. Sandy arrived and they got home quickly. Ryan went inside and had some cereal in the house (he hadn't gotten to eat at the hospital). He headed upstairs to Seth's room, where he'd slept before the accident, but then realized that he belonged in the pool house, his 'room'. This reminded him that Theresa was gone, which made him sad. He was glad he didn't start crying again. He hated crying, tears were for the soft. Soft people didn't grow up in Chino. Ryan was not soft. He went to the pool house and started unpacking his stuff. Even with the recent tragedy, it was good to be home.

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After he was fully unpacked, he was hungry for lunch and thought of the Mac & Cheese Marissa had made. Damn, he was glad that he had Marissa; he needed her. He was pretty sure he loved her, and he didn't use that word lightly. To think of it, he loved Kirsten, Sandy, and Seth; they were his family. It was funny, in such a short year, he found something he'd never known before, love. He guessed his biological mother, Dawn loved him, but then again, she let her boyfriends beat him up. And on the other hand, he knew Kirsten, his real mom, would do anything for him. He was loved. After his thoughts, he decided to go have lunch and then call Marissa.

"Hey Maris, wanna go do something?"

"Uh, yeah, like what?"

"I don't know, something."

"Alright, I'll come get you."

"Cool, I'll be waiting."

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Marissa needed to get ready. It was one in the afternoon and she still wasn't out of her pajamas, a tank top she stole from Ryan after they'd jumped into a pool fully clothed and sweat pants. She put a polo and a pair of jean shorts on and quickly brushed her hair. After all, Ryan was waiting for her.

She drove to the Cohens' and picked up Ryan. They decided to go to the pier and get a corn dog (Marissa hadn't eaten yet.) They were looking over the railing to the beach.

"This scene seems familiar." Ryan stated.

"It is. We did this after we'd broken up over Oliver."

"Right, I said, 'you know what we haven't done lately?'"

"What?"

"This."

Ryan leaned over and kissed Marissa fervently. She was expecting it and kissed him back. She loved kissing him. It was way better than kissing Luke had ever been. She needed to kiss Ryan more often. She was glad she could kiss him just about whenever she wanted to. They decided to go back to the pool house. For a while Ryan and Marissa just lay in Ryan's bed, in each other's arms.

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Marissa left, though Ryan didn't know it, he was too fast asleep.

"_Theresa, watch out!"_

"_What?"_

_Screech..._

Ryan woke up startled.

"Holy crap. That was a freaky ass dream." Ryan muttered. He soon fell asleep but was restless all through the rest of the night.

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Author's Note: I hope y'all liked that chapter and it didn't come out like dribble. I was stuck in a minor rut with but I had to keep writing. Seth and Summer next chapter. I know I keep saying that, but I'm almost done with the next chapter, so this time, I'm totally serious. Sorry to keep you waiting SethSummer fans.

Countdown to the OC: Season 1 DVD in 74 days (OCtober 26th)

Countdown to the OC: Season 2 Premiere in 83 days (November 4th)

Congratulations to Adam Brody for winning the Teen Choice Award for TV: Actor Drama/Action Adventure and to Mischa Barton for winning the Teen Choice Award for TV: Breakout Star Female. And oh yeah, and the OC won two Teen Choice Awards, Breakout Show and TV: Drama/Action Adventure.

Oh, P.S. I was watching CSI earlier (my mom loves that show) and in it, There was a woman who was driving and swerved so she wouldn't hit something and she ended up hitting a big rig and died. I swear I had never seen that one, and so I came up with Theresa's death all by myself, even if it is unoriginal.


	4. There's No Place Like Home

Disclaimer: I don't own the OC, Josh Schwartz and Fox do.

Author's Note: This chapter starts 3 days after Ryan comes home from the hospital.

Chapter Four

There's No Place Like Home

Summer Roberts glanced down the list of her unopened e-mails. Five reviews for her fan-fic "Down In the Valley", and a bunch of junk mail. Delete, Delete, Delete. Summer got offline and picked up her letter from Seth. She read it probably every ten minutes; sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night just to read the letter again. Princess Sparkle and Captain Oats were getting along famously, Summer and Seth knew they would. She needed to get out and do something. She needed to go shopping, because it's sooo therapeutic. But she needed a companion. She knew just the person, Marissa.

Ring... Ring

_Ugh! Coop, pick up!_

"Hello?" Marissa asked, though she knew who was calling.

"Coop we need to go shopping."

"OK, Summer, just tell me when and where."

"Now, come pick me up."

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Seth was still sailing. He'd only, really, drifted in the water. Drifting for the past five days. He coasted, to bathe and shave. He doubted he did a good job, but hey, he was out at sea. He was just glad he had brought enough sustenance. Cliff bars, mmm, good. He decided he'd return tomorrow. He knew he'd originally said within a month, but shortly at sea, that month turned into a week, less than a week.

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Summer bought way too many clothes. She'd wear them of course, but she felt like she needed a better tan for them. After all, it was summer, she lived in California and, well, she wanted to look damn good for Seth, whenever he got home. Her tan decision came over her in the car with Marissa.

"Coop, tomorrow, we're going to spend the day on the beach."

"Sum, you know I'd love to, more than anything in the world, but Ryan and I are going to... um ... go see a movie tomorrow."

"Coop!" Summer glared at Marissa.

"OK, we'll tan tomorrow. I'll tell Ryan later." _Lordy, Seth get your butt home soon. _Marissa mentally commanded.

The next day...

Summer was glad she was going to spend the day on the beach; maybe tanning could get her mind off of Seth. She threw on a string bikini, denim shorts, and a thin button-up shirt. She put a bottle of water, her cell phone, tanning lotion, and a towel in her bag, and walked down to the shore. Marissa was already waiting for her.

"Bring the tanning lotion?" Marissa asked. She'd already stripped down to one of her many bathing suits.

"Of, course. How could I not, Coop?"

"That, I don't know." Marissa replied to Summer's rhetorical question.

The best friends slathered themselves and lay down for a peaceful day of tanning.

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Seth was so glad he brought his cell phone to sea with him. He turned it on for the first time in almost a week. He filed down the 'phone book' for Marissa. He couldn't call Summer, he wanted to surprise her. He pressed call and waited for it to ring.

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Marissa picked up her ringing phone and looked at the caller ID. Oh my god, it was Seth. She answered immediately.

"Hello?" Marissa asked, trying to keep Seth incognito, though she didn't know why.

"Hey, Marissa. It's Seth, don't tell Summer it's me."

"Oh, hey Ryan."

Summer had no idea that Marissa wasn't talking to Ryan.

"Good job, Maris! Is she with you?"

"Of course, Ry."

"So where are you, I want to surprise her."

"Aww, that's so sweet. But you know I'm spending the day with Summer at the beach."

"Alright, I'll be there in 10 minutes, tops. Thanks, Marissa."

"Maybe later, bye sweetie!"

"Marissa, what's up?" Summer asked.

"Oh, nothing, with his concussion, Ryan forgot you and I were spending the day together. I only told him yesterday."

"Oh, alright. That kinda sucks."

"Doesn't it?"

Marissa stalled for about eight minutes. When she saw Seth about sixty feet away.

"Hey, Sum, I have to go pee."

"Ai'it Coop. Go ahead. I'll be right here when you're done."

"I'll be right back."

Marissa ran down the beach to the closest bathroom and was lucky. She could still see Summer.

Seth walked up to Summer. Because he created a shadow, Summer rolled over to see his feet. She slowly looked up his body, until she stopped, stunned, at his face. He let her have the first words.

"They're askin' where ya been. Like I know. Where ya been ..."

Seth cut her off, and smiled, "Hey Summer, how ya been?"

"What? Those aren't the words!"

"Yes, you would know, Summer. And when did you start listening to Ben Folds Five?"

"Since you left. I raided your CD collection. I mean, most of the music you listen to is called 'emo' for a reason. Most of it is sad and depressing. Kind of how I felt after you left."

"Wow, Summer, very unexpected. Did you like any of it?"

"No, most of it was way too sad and depressing. I don't think I would've ever listened to it if you hadn't left. But that Ben Folds guy was Ok." She stood up.

"I'm glad that my leaving for less than a week made more of an impact than if I'd stayed."

At that comment, Summer playfully hit him on the arm.

"Ouch, Sum."

"Come on Cohen! You're such a wuss!"

Summer threw her arms around him, and kissed his scratchy stubble, not wanting to ever let go.

"Hey, Summy, I'm glad you didn't have a rage blackout."

"Cohen, I came very close, and I definitely will if you leave again. Oh, and if you ever call me 'Summy' again."

"Alright, it's a deal."

When Marissa saw Summer and Seth hugging, she knew it was her cue to return to the scene.

"Marissa! Look, Seth's back!"

"Yeah, I know."

"Wait, you knew and didn't tell me?"

"Yeah, he told me not to. I was talking to him on the phone, not Ryan."

"It was really weird having Marissa call me 'Ry' and 'sweetie."

"Well, soorrry. You did tell me to not say your name. It's good to see you home."

"Speaking of which, can we go to my house? My mom will get kinda mad that I came here first."

"Yeah, sure, I drove." Marissa replied to her step-nephew, who was also her boyfriend's brother, and her best friends boyfriend. (Lol! The b/f of the bf!)

Marissa drove the trio to the Cohens' house. It was almost five in the evening, so Kirsten, Sandy, and Ryan were trying to figure out what to order for dinner when Seth, Summer, and Marissa came through the front door.

"What the hell?" Sandy asked at the sound of the door.

Seth dropped his bag at the entrance and walked down the hallway with Marissa and Summer in tow. The three walked into the kitchen to see the other three, Kirsten, Ryan, and Sandy.

"Seth!" Kirsten cried and ran over to hug her son.

"Hey mom."

"Son, don't do that again." Sandy commanded. Sandy too went over to hug Seth. After Kirsten and Sandy released Seth from their hold, Seth greeted his brother, Ryan. They slapped hands and hugged.

"Good to see you, Seth."

"You too, RA"

"It's so good to have both of my boys home again." Kristen said very tearfully. "We need to go out to dinner, as a family, oh Summer, Marissa, you have to come too."

"Thanks, Mrs. Cohen. Marissa and I have to go change though."

"Go ahead, girls. It'll be nice to have a bit of time with my boys and my husband."

"Alright, Kirsten, Summer and I will be back soon." The girls left for Marissa's house to change. The Cohens were all together, for the first time in almost a week.

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Author's Note: I hope that chapter was all right, even if it did end semi-abruptly. I'm glad I could finally update! I tried to write as much as possible but I had family from across the country here, and I've been rather in love with my instant messenger! Tell me what you think should happen next....

Countdown to the OC: Season 1 DVD in 69 days. (OCtober 26th) Wow, time flies, even though, you can now order it on Amazon...

Countdown to the OC: Season 2 Premiere in 78 days. (November 4th) Now, somehow, that doesn't sound much better!

Oh, BTW, don't get mad at me, if you thought I was dissing emo with that comment from Summer. I love emo, so **_I_ **definitely wasn't dissing emo; it's just what I think Summer thinks of emo. LOL!

And all the thanks in the world to TwoPence for letting me use a bit of one of her fanfic's titles, 'Down In the Valley'.


	5. The Only Person to be Serenaded Asleep

Disclaimer: I do not own the OC. That is valuable. The only valuable thing I own is the computer I'm writing this on (And it was a gift, too!).

Author's Note: "You'd better look out cause I'm gonna say f---", just a warning.

Chapter Five

The Only Person to be Serenaded Asleep

Summer and Marissa were looking in Marissa's huge walk-in closet.

"Good job, Coop, it's organized!"

"Thanks, Sum." Marissa blushed. "So, Seth's home."

"Yeah, I'm so happy. He'll have to come get Captain Oats. Or something..."

"Captain Oats?"

"Oh, nothing."

"'Cuz that sounds kinda gross..."

"Eeew, Coop! No! Eeew!"

"Sorry, what do you want to wear? Dress, skirt, or pants?"

"Dress. It's seems better. I don't know why."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, I want to wear a dress too."

The girls rifled through Marissa's extensive collection of dresses to find one to suit the occasion.

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"So, Seth, how was your trip?" Sandy asked.

"Fine, I didn't really go anywhere. But if we're going somewhere, shouldn't I get ready too?"

"Yeah, good idea son. Go get dressed, or whatever."

Seth got up to leave and Ryan followed him.

"Yo, Ryan, I'm a big boy, I can get ready by myself."

"Yeah, I know." Seth and Ryan went into the bathroom and shut the door. "Why the hell did you _really_ leave? It's not like you actually went to Tahiti."

"I know, I just thought if you weren't here, my life would go back to the hell it was at the beginning of last summer. And I wouldn't have a Summer anymore. Dude, I mean seriously, you are the only reason I'm as cool as I am now." Seth slathered his chin and cheeks in shaving cream.

"You're cool?" Seth put the razor up to the thick layer of shaving cream and started shaving.

"Yeah. But let's change to a different subject, why the hell are _you_ here? I thought you were doing the right thing with Theresa."

"Well, I was going to but well..."

"Yes, Ryan, I'm waiting."

"On our way to Chino, we got into a huge car wreck. So now Theresa is no more."

"Ouch, that sucks, sorry I asked."

"No, you were going to find out any way, better from me, than any one else."

"So, are we going to a funeral?"

"Yeah, it's in a week."

"Cool, I mean, not cool..."

"Seth, I know what you mean."

"Right, I'm done. Now, you're definitely going to have to leave. I need to take a shower. You are not going to witness that. Sorry, bro."

"Oh, I'm so sad, seeing Seth Cohen naked was at the top of my to-do list."

"Oooh, good comeback, Ryan. I liked the delivery."

"I learned from the best."

"Thanks. Now leave!"

Ryan heeded Seth's command and shut the door of the bathroom behind him. Ryan tried to leave the main house but was stopped by Sandy and Kirsten.

"Ryan, what were you and Seth talking about?" Kirsten asked her son.

"Oh, nothing he just wanted to know why I'm home." Ryan told her honestly, even if it wasn't the whole truth.

"Oh" Kirsten replied, disappointed. She left to change.

"You talked about why he left, because you left and he was afraid of not having Summer anymore." Sandy declared.

"How'd you know?" Ryan wondered.

"He's my son, I know him almost as well as you do. Now we have to go get ready."

Sandy and Ryan went in different directions, Ryan to his pool house, Sandy to his room.

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Marissa and Summer were in Marissa's room. Marissa thought it was really funny, Summer was in a beautiful Marc Jacobs dress and flip-flops. Marissa was dressed in a Matthew Williamson that she loved to death. Marissa put on a pair of heels while Summer put on makeup. She wanted to look au natural so put just put on a bit of lip-gloss and mascara. Marissa was now ready and so was Summer. In her 2-inch heels, Marissa was half a foot taller than her best friend.

"Coop, can we please stop by my house? In those shoes, you tower over me, and it makes me feel even shorter! You've got to be as tall as Cohen! Please?"

"Sure Sum, but it's gotta be quick."

"Yeah, I'll just run in and grab a pair. Thank you, Coop!"

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Summer put her heels on in the car, and within minutes, the girls were back at the Cohen house. They rang the doorbell and a perfectly made up Kirsten answered the door in a knee-length skirt, wrap top and inch high heels.

"Hey girls, the boys should be out soon."

"Thanks, Mrs. Cohen," Summer replied.

"Summer, how many times do I have to tell you? It's Kirsten."

"Oh, right... Kirsten"

Right at that exact moment, Ryan entered the main house in his usual garb, though his hair was nicely combed through. He went up to Marissa and gave her a polite kiss on the cheek.

"Marissa, you look beautiful, as always. And Summer... um... you don't look so shabby, yourself."

"Thanks, Chino."

Seth came into the room dressed in a penguin polo and jeans.

"Ryan, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't hit on my girlfriend." Seth kissed Summer on the lips, hungrily. Summer, however, restrained herself and wouldn't open her mouth if it killed her. Seth pulled away looking somewhat hurt. She saw Sandy coming down the hall, he didn't.

"Kirsten, the kids are all here, let's go."

"Yeah, good point, right." Kirsten pulled her keys out of her bag and locked the door behind the six. Ryan and Marissa got into the very back, Seth and Summer in the middle, and Sandy and Kirsten in front.

--After dinner, at the Cohen house--

Summer and Seth went up to Seth's room. They just talked. Talked about stuff. They decided it was getting late, and decided to get together the next day. Seth drove Summer home.

------------

Marissa felt good, a numb good, but good all the same. She didn't drink much in front of Sandy and Kirsten, but drank a couple of mini Bailey's in the bathroom. She definitely wasn't sober. Marissa and Ryan entered the pool house, and were greeted by a cool rush of air.

"I guess I forgot to turn the A.C. off when I left." Ryan said, when he saw Marissa shiver. He went to turn the air conditioning off, and returned to see Marissa standing there, wearing nothing but her bra, panties, and heels. She had lowered all of the blinds in his short absence and apparently stripped off her dress. She walked over to him and pushed him onto the bed and lay on top of him.

"Ryan... I want you, now," Marissa slurred. She tried to take off his over shirt but he quickly stopped her.

"Marissa, you're drunk. It's not right..."

"I'm not drunk," Marissa insisted, and again tried to pull off his shirt.

"Yes, you are." Ryan rolled her so that she was lying on his side and firmly held her there while she struggled. She soon figured out that he wouldn't let up and settled down. He eased his grip to a loose hold.

"Fine then. If you won't fuck me, sing to me, or something, I don't care."

"You're pretty good looking for a girl, but your back is so broken..." Ryan started. Marissa smiled, the White Stripes, he knew she loved them. She closed her eyes while he sang.

"And this feelin's still gonna linger on until the year 2525, now. Yeah, you're pretty good looking for a girl, your eyes are wide open. And your thoughts have been stolen by the boys who took you out and bought you everything you are now. Yeah, you're pretty good looking oh yeah, you're pretty good looking. Yes, you're pretty good looking, oh yeah, for a girl. Lots of people in this world, but I'm gonna be your boy. To me that thought is sounding so absurd, and I don't wanna be your toy. Cause you're pretty good looking for a girl. My future's wide open, but this feeling's still gonna linger on, until I know everything I need to know now. Yeah you're pretty good looking, oh yeah, you're pretty good looking. Yes, you're pretty good looking, oh yeah, for a girl." Ryan finished his rendition of 'You're Pretty Good Looking' and looked over to see Marissa, passed out on his side. "Marissa?" Yep, out cold. Ryan fell asleep shortly after.

A few hours later Marissa felt the vomit coming up quickly and sat up immediately to run to the bathroom, a huge feat in the heels she was still wearing (as they were stilettos), lifted up the seat, pulled her hair out of her face, bent over the toilet and let it spew. _Eew_, she thought,_ I hate the taste of vomit._ She cleansed her mouth with some water and realized she wasn't wearing clothes. She went to put her dress on and lay back down next to Ryan, only to fall asleep, again.

_He saw a little kid running across the street. She apparently didn't._

"_Theresa, watch out!"_

"_What?" She definitely saw him, now. She quickly jerked the wheel to avoid hitting the boy._

_Screech..._

Ryan woke up again, this time, with Marissa in his arms. She was holding his arm tightly. It comforted him, and fell asleep, too.

-----------

Author's Notes: OK, that, originally was just gonna be filler, I just wanted to set a little stage for Seth and Summer (with Captain Oats), and show how sweet Ryan is... but it turned into a little more, I hope it was good. Wow, that was my most wordy chapter, yet. I'm still in love with the instant messenger, in case you're wondering. And my dog, yeah, I just got him on Friday, he's really cute. If you have any suggestions, put them in the box... or just click 'review'.

Countdown to the OC: Season 1 DVD in 65 days (OCtober 26th, squeals in excitement!) You can still pre-order it on Amazon; you get like 30% off or something like that...

Countdown to the OC: Season 2 Premiere in 74 days. (November 4th) OK, that's sounding way better!

Well, I have to go register for school tomorrow, scary, but true. And I'll try to get at least one more chapter of this done in my last 3 days of freedom. But I'm not making any promises.

Oh, BTW: I forgot to mention... in the last chapter (4) I used a couple of lines from 'Where's Summer B.?' by Ben Folds Five. Don't know if anyone picked up on that one... and in this chapter (hopefully everyone picked this up, but if not,) Ryan was singing 'You're Pretty Good Looking' by the White Stripes. And my author's note at the beginning of the chapter was from 'Rockin' the Suburbs' by Ben Folds.

This is purely promo, but don't forget to read my other fan-fic (I'm co-writing it with newportbabe44. Oh, you know you want to), it's good and one of the few things that tears me away from this... it's called 'Real World: Orange County'.

Ta-Ta for now...


	6. Reunited

Disclaimer: Only in my wildest fantasies do I own the OC. So yeah, I wish...

Author's Note: I'm so forgetful! Lordy, I've had this done for weeks. I'm soo sorry. This is where it starts to get a little more PG-13, except for that one word in the last chapter. You can start now, I'm done.

**Chapter Six**

**Reunited **

It must've been about 8:30 when the morning sun begun to shine through the blinds of the Cohen's pool house. The bright light caused Marissa and Ryan to stir and open their eyes to a squint. Marissa remembered that she had woken up earlier without clothes on. She couldn't remember a thing, _so this is what Ryan felt like after the accident_...

"Ryan, are you awake?"

"Yeah, barely."

"What happened last night? I have no recollection, whatsoever."

"Well, we went out to dinner with Sandy, Kirsten, Summer, and Seth. And then we came here."

"Did we do anything?" Ryan realized that she was again wearing the dress she'd been wearing the night before, and he decided not to tell her that she had kind of embarrassed herself.

"No."

"Are you sure? I mean, earlier, I woke up in my underwear."

"Yes, Marissa, I'm sure. You don't want to know what you did."

"Yeah, I do."

Oh well, too bad for Ryan's plan. "Fine then, you tried to get me to have sex with you and I politely refused."

"Thank you. I mean, I'm a little pissed, but thanks all the same."

"What do you mean, you're pissed? Pissed about what?"

"Nothing, my head's banging. I should probably call my dad and tell him where I am." Marissa sidetracked, but her head really was banging and she really should call her dad.

"Stop beating around the bush, then you can call your dad. Tell me what pisses you off."

"Well, it's just that you can screw Theresa, no problem, and when I want the same thing, you won't."

"Marissa, you know it's only because I love you. I didn't feel that way about Theresa."

"Oh, that's a nice way to talk about a dead person." Marissa said sarcastically.  
"Well, you know it's the truth. Call Jimmy and then we'll go in and have something to eat."

"Mmm, kay."

Marissa went to her small clutch and picked out her cell phone. And pressed the 2 down hard, for dad.

"Hello?" A raspy voiced woman picked up the phone.

"Hailey? Whoa, that didn't sound like you."

"Well, you know, I haven't had my coffee yet."

"Hail, who is it?" Marissa heard her dad in the background and Hailey's answer back, "Marissa."

"Hey Marissa, I'm gonna put your dad on, OK?"

"Yeah."

"Marissa, sweetie, what's up, where are you?"

"Dad, I know I was supposed to spend the night at your place, but I wasn't in a condition to drive so I spent the night at the Cohens'."

"With Ryan?"

"Yes, dad, if you must know. Yes, I spent the night with Ryan. I'm gonna eat something here and then head to you. K?"

"Yeah sure, 'Rissa."

"Bye Daddy. See you soon. Love you."

"Love you too, bye, Sweetheart."

Marissa got off the phone, linked her arm through Ryan's and they headed out to the dining room, where Kirsten, Sandy, and Seth were sitting at the table. When Ryan entered the room, no one saw Marissa... yet.

"Good morning, Ryan," Sandy and Kirsten said almost in unison.

"Hey, Ryan..." Seth said a second after his parents had finished, "and Marissa. It's a pleasure to see you first thing in the morning, did you just wake up?"

"Yes, Seth, I did just wake up." Sandy and Kirsten gave each other 'oh really' looks, but didn't say a word. Awkward silence soon followed her comment until Ryan broke it.

"So, Marissa, what do you want to eat? I can make something, or there's always cereal."

"Umm... are there eggs?"

"Yeah, how do you like them cooked?"

"Scrambled, please."

Marissa and Ryan finished eating breakfast. Ryan walked Marissa out to her car, and gave her a good-bye kiss. He wanted her to stay, but knew she, at the very least, had to go home and change. He was going to be bored, he guessed he could play 'Grand Theft Auto: Vice City' but, any game was better with some one else. Ryan decided he could use a day to himself, and went inside.

Marissa drove to her dad's and found Jimmy and Hailey glowing.

"What's going on?" Marissa asked. Hailey flopped her left hand forward, ring finger slightly raised; a ginormous 5-karat diamond ring swallowed it. It was obvious to Marissa, Jimmy had proposed, Hailey had said yes.

"Wow, Dad. Good for you guys." Marissa felt her connection with Seth deepen, now, not only was she his step-aunt, but she was also going to be his cousin. She left to go change.

------------

After Marissa left the Cohen house, Summer came by, since she and Seth had made plans the night before. Seth dragged Summer to his room.

He had Transatlanticism, the latest Death Cab for Cutie album playing.

"Sorry, but I wanted to be alone. Just you, Captain Oats, and me. Come on, bring him out..."

Summer pulled the plastic horse out of her bag, and said, "Well, I brought Princess Sparkle, too. She didn't want to say goodbye to Captain Oats, just yet."

A few minutes later and the title track of the CD was on quietly. Seth and Summer sat barefoot on Seth's bedroom floor.

"I'm a pretty princess." 'Princess Sparkle' said to 'Captain Oats'.

"Yes, Summer, you are. You are my pretty princess." Seth leaned over to Summer and kissed her gently. Summer grabbed his head and started running her fingers through his hair. She kissed him harder. The couple stood up, took a breath each and Summer pulled Seth's shirt up, over his head and threw it onto the floor. She pushed him onto his bed and slinked out of her mini-skirt. She straddled his half-naked body and leaned in for more kisses. They sat like that for minutes.

_The rhythm of my footsteps crossing foot lands to your door_

_Have been silenced forever more_

_The distance is quite simply much too far for me to row_

_It seems farther than ever before_

_Oh no_

_I need you so much closer_

_I need you so much closer_

_I need you so much closer_

_I need you so much closer_

_I need you so much closer_

_I need you so much closer_

_I need you so much closer_

_I need you so much closer_

Seth pulled away from his girlfriend and asked, "Summer, you're sure about this?"

"Well, Cohen, let me think... Uh, yeah. Besides, it's not any thing we haven't done before."

"Yeah, but Summer you put a no-sex rule on our relationship."

"I don't care anymore, Cohen. Did you listen to the last line that we heard? I need you so much closer, well Cohen, I do. I need you so much closer."

"Summer... I wouldn't want you to regret this later."

At that Summer pulled her t-shirt over her head. She knew Seth wouldn't be able to resist now...

"Whatever you say, Summer. Yes." With his permission she pushed him down and lay on top of him. He undid his pants and she helped dropped them to the side of the bed, amidst all of their other clothes.

------------

Author's Note: OK, so that was a little short, I'm sorry. I, for some reason, wanted to end with Seth and Summer's reunion, hence the title of the chapter. So, Jimmy and Hailey are getting married, what about that? That kind of makes me happy, I like Hailey and I think Jimmy deserves to be happy, after all, he's put up with Julie Cooper for so long. But, there's not only the sappiness that I love, but it gives me a little more drama with Marissa. You'll just have to wait until the next chapter for that. Some one asked for more SS, well there you go... RM, _and _SS next chapter. Maybe we'll get a little Julie jealousy goin' on in the next chapter... I'm not really sure yet. Oh and if you're wondering why Marissa called Jimmy and not Julie it's because of two reasons: 1) Marissa was spending a couple days with her dad (joint custody) and 2) do you know Julie Cooper? She would, like, get Ryan arrested or something. She hates him. Marissa knew Jimmy would be more understanding. So yeah... I'll start the next chapter soon, because the sooner I start, the sooner I finish, and then, ultimately, update sooner. I haven't really decided when (and if) Julie will find out about the money... What do y'all think? Tell me, majority rules.

Countdown to the OC: Season 1 DVD in 43 days (OCtober 26th), I can't wait, my mom ordered it for me.

Countdown to the OC: Season 2 Premiere in 52 days (November 4th), it sounds better each time I write it. Maybe that's because it gets lower each time I write it.

Toodles!


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